While you were sleeping, we compiled the biggest stories of the day in one place. Each story has a quick and easy summary, so you're prepared for whatever the day brings. Just click on the links if you want to know more!
1. Publix opens vaccine appointments to Florida residents 18 and older
Florida officially lowers the eligibility age on Monday, April 5, to anyone 18 and older for the Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines, or 16 years old for the Pfizer vaccine.
The appointments Publix books today will be scheduled for the Moderna vaccine on Tuesday, April 6.
The booking portal opens at 7 a.m. Click here to enter the portal.
2. Computer hackers demand $40 million ransom from Broward County Public Schools
According to a transcript obtained by the South Florida SunSentinel, hackers with the ransomware group known as Conti engaged in an exchange with a Broward County Public Schools representative, initially demanding $40 million from the district, but eventually lowering the offer to $10 million.
"We have approval to offer $500,000, but the price ranges you started with are too far off for a taxpayer funded school," the school district representative answered. Under district policy, that amount is the maximum it can pay without school board approval.
The district says that it is "not aware of any student or employee personal data that has been compromised as a result of this incident."
3. Mar-a-Lago intruder remains behind bars despite serving entire sentence
The woman known as the Mar-a-Lago trespasser, Yujing Zhang, is still in Florida and still behind bars, despite already completing her eight-month sentence in November 2019. She's been waiting for over one year to be released.
Late last year, Zhang filed a handwritten writ of habeas corpus in federal court, asking for a judge to appoint her an attorney and questioning why she was still in custody.
In a court filing dated March 22, 2021, the U.S Attorney's Office responded to Zhang's petition, writing that Zhang's removal and deportation to China "will occur within the next eight weeks."
4. Former Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie pleads guilty to 2 misdemeanors
Disgraced former Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie has pleaded guilty to misuse of public office or employment and failure to disclose voting conflicts stemming from her 2018 arrest.
Detectives say Haynie falsified her required state financial disclosure forms in 2014, 2015 and 2016 by "omitting the fact that she was being compensated" by developer James Batmasian.
Under the terms of her plea agreement, the remaining charges have been dropped, she was sentenced to 12 months of probation and may not seek or hold public office during that time. She was also sentenced to one day in jail but received credit for time served.
5. Where's Chance? Video shows brazen theft of Pomeranian from Boynton Beach yard
Police are searching for a 1-year-old dog who was stolen from his owner's front yard in Boynton Beach.
Police say the Pomeranian-Sih Tzu mix named Chance was abducted on Tuesday just before 9:30 p.m.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Boynton Beach Police Department at 561-732-8116 or Palm Beach County Crime Stoppers at 800-458-TIPS. .
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On This Day In History
On April 2, 1917, Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first woman ever elected to Congress, takes her seat in the U.S. Capitol as a representative from Montana.
Remember, you can join Mike Trim and Ashleigh Walters every weekday on WPTV NewsChannel 5 beginning at 4:30 a.m. And you can always watch the latest news from WPTV anytime on your favorite streaming device. Just search for "WPTV."
